Carl bruno dolge



(N0 ModeL) G. B. DOLGE.

' METHOD OF PRODUCING FELTED FABRICS. No. 314,809.

Patented Mar. 31, 1885.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARL BRUNO DOLGE, OF DOLGEVILLE, ASSIGNOR TO ALFRED DOLGE, OF

' NEWV YORK, N. Y.

METHOD OF PRODUCING FELTED FABRICS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 314,809, dated March31, 1885.

Application filed December 11, 1854. (No mode.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL BRUNO DOLGE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Dolgeville, in the county of Herkimer and State of New York,have invented new and useful Improvements in Methods of and Apparatusfor Producing Felted Fabrics, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new and improved method of producing feltedfabrics, as hereinafter more fully described.

The accompanying drawing represents a side view of the apparatus which Iuse in car rying out my invention.

In the drawing, the letters A A designate two wool-carding machines ofthe well-known construction, and the letter B designates afeltingmachine.

The carding-machines are placed upon a platform or floor, beneath whichis placed the felting-machine, so that the webs discharged from thecarding-machines can be conveniently carried by means of an endlessapron, 0, down to the felting -machine. The wool or other material to befelted is fed to the carding-machines over the feed-tables a a, and thewebs produced by the carding-machines are taken off from the doffers b bby doffing-combs c c, and then they are conducted simultaneously to theendless apron O, which carries both together to the felting-machine, thetwo webs being indicated by dotted lines in the drawing. After the twowebs leave the endless apron 0, they are carried by two aprons, d 6,through the felting-machine B. The apron 0 passes round a roller, e,thence through between the felting-rollers, and over a series ofsupporting-rollers, (1 The apron d passes over a series of top rollers,d, under a roller, dithrough between the felting-rollers over the aprone, thence over the supporting-rollers d beneath the apron e, thenceround rollers d d to the top roller, (1. The two webs coming down fromthe carding-machines are carried through the felting-machine between thetwo apronsd e, which carry the same along over the supporting-rollers dand as the two aprons separate beneath the roller 0 the webs are liftedfrom the apron (Z by a workman or by automatic means, so that theyfollow the apron e, and are caused to pass again and again throughbetween the felting-rollers. The

movement of the carding-machines and of the apron O is so timed thatwhen the webs first formed have passed through the felting-machine, andbefore they enter between the felting-rollers for the second time, oneor more webs are carried down by the apron O and caused to pass throughthe felting-machine simultaneously with the two webs already felted, andso on, so that the webs first formed are felted together before any newwebs have been added. Then one or more webs are added and feltedtogether with the two webs previously felted, and so on until the fabrichas attained the required thickness.

In the felting process as usually practiced webs are formed on drumsconnected with cardingmachines, and then a large number of them areplaced one on the top of the other until a pile is formed of sufficientthickness, and this pile is passed through a felting-machine or exposedto a felting action. In following this process the extreme layers nearthe top and bottom of the pile become thoroughly felted together; butthe middle layers of the piles are not sufficiently felted, and thefelted fabric thus produced is liable to split apart throughout itsentire length and width. In following my method of felting all thelayers become thoroughly felted together, and the felted fabric madeaccording to my invention is of equal strength and firmness throughout,so that no portionof the same is liable to scale off. It must beremarked that in the method above described the webs are formed andfelted together in pairs; but, if desired, one of the carding machinesmay be stopped after the first pair of webs has been formed, so that thesuccessive webs are felted together singly with the webs already felted.

It will also be noticed that in carrying out my invention the successivewebs are formed while the webs previously formed are being exposed to afelting action, so that the operations of felting and forming the websgo on without interruption until the fabric has reached the desiredthickness.

The felting-machine B, which I have illustrated in the drawing, forms nopart of my ICQ present invention, and it consists, principally, of aseries of steam-heated rollers, b, and of a series of top rollers, 12The rollers b receive a positive revolving motion in the same directionand of the same superficial velocity as the aprons d e, while the toprollers bear down upon the aprons by their own gravity, and receive ashort and rapid reciprocating motion in the direction of their length.

I do not here claim the apparatus shown and described for carrying mymethod into effect, as such will constitute the subjectmatter of aseparate application for Letters Patent.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. As an improvement in the art of felting, the method substantially asherein described, which consists in taking two webs and exposing them toa felting action, then adding one or more additional Webs and exposingthem, together with the webs already felted, to a felting action,and soon until the fabric has reached the required thickness.

2. As an improvement in the art of felting, the method substantially asherein described, which consists in forming two webs, and While thesewebs are exposed to a felting action CARL BRUNO DOLGE. n s.]

Vfitnesses:

J osnrrr Koorr, E. It. XVANOKEL.

